Career Summary

Biography

Michael Howard's research and teaching focus is public policy. He was awarded a PhD in History at the University of Sydney in 1979 for a thesis on the growth in the economic and social role of the Commonwealth government in Australia in the 1940s. He subsequently produced ANU Research School publications, plus other Conference papers, based on further research on this period. During 1976-78 he worked as a local Health Education Officer in the NSW Community Health Program; in 1980 he published a monograph on this Program as part of the build-up to the Australian Community Health Association. From 1980 to 1989 he worked as a Research/Policy Analyst for the NSW Dept of Community Services, while from 1989 to 1997 he was a Research Fellow at the Public Sector Research Centre, UNSW. In this role he acted as Editor for over 60 PSRC publications and sole authored over 30 publications focussed on a wide range of public sector trends associated with neo-liberalism. Prior to commencing at the University of Newcastle (Ourimbah campus) in mid 2000, his lecturing and tutoring experience was at Sydney University (Dept of Government in 1979-80; Dept of Social Work and Sociology 1998) and at UNSW (School of Social Science and Policy, 1990s).

Michael's teaching and research interests centre on public and social policy. Since 2000, he has acted as sole lecturer and, with a few exceptions, sole tutor on 80 occasions of offer across the following 12 courses: Australian Government and Politics; Australian Public Policy and Social Outcomes; Social Policy in Australia; International Issues in Australian Politics and Foreign Policy; Globalisation and Comparative Public Policy; Policy Development, Program Management and Evaluation; Organisational Management and Social Behaviour; Introduction to Politics; Introducton to Welfare Studies; Human Rights and Social Change; Social Welfare Research Project; Business, Mass Media and Consumption.

.Research ExpertiseRole of consultants in public sector commercialisation, Commercialisation of the public sector, Trends in public sector expenditure and revenue, Political economy of social conditions and public policy & Factors in the rise and fall of the Keynesian mixed economy and welfare state.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Sydney

Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Sydney

Keywords

Commercialisation and the Public Sector

Interaction of ideas and interests in policy making

Interaction of political economy and political sociology with political institutions

Political Economies

Public Policy

Studies of Human Society

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

169999

Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified

100

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title

Organisation / Department

Lecturer

University of NewcastleSchool of Humanities and Social ScienceAustralia

Academic appointment

Dates

Title

Organisation / Department

1/05/2000 -

Lecturer

University of NewcastleSchool of Humanities and Social ScienceAustralia

Howard M, 'Income and 'Expenditure' : the Big Accounting- Consulting Firms and their Pathways of Promotion within the Political and Bureaucratic System', 'Refereed Papers' of the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference 2005, Dunedin (2005) [E1]

2005

Howard M, 'Mechanisms for Promoting Income and Influence: the Accounting-Consulting Firms and their Interaction with Parties, Politicians and the Bureaucracy', Papers Presented at the Public Policy Network Conference: 'Public Policy - Values, Ideologies and Interests', University of Canberra (2005) [E2]